


Tag

by Redrikki



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Bounty Hunters, Canon Character of Color, Gen, Graffiti, Misses Clause Challenge, Women Being Awesome, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-06 14:42:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8756629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/pseuds/Redrikki
Summary: Sabine and Ketsu, bounty hunters extraordinaire, argue about how to sign their work.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eightbots](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eightbots/gifts).



Ketsu spray painted their new tag on the sidewalk while Sabine set the charges. “That’s it?” Sabine hissed as she took up position beside the door. When Ketsu first suggested they sign their work, Sabine had pictured something distinctive, impressive, the kind of thing that would strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. Instead, Ketsu’s simple interlocking K and S looked like something a school kid would carve into their desk. “Little underwhelming, don’t you think?”

“Really?” Ketsu’s face-concealing helmet kept Sabine from seeing her glare, but not from feeling the heat of it. “You want to do this now?”

Okay, yeah. The mission came first. “Fine,” Sabine said with a huff and pressed the detonator.

The door blew in with a muffled whomp. There were raised voices inside and lights snapped on up and down the block. They’d have to move hard and fast after this point. It wouldn’t be long until someone commed the nearest security patrol. At Ketsu’s nod, they each lobbed a smoke grenade into the breach. There was more yelling from inside as smoke began to billow out the door and windows. Pulse pounding, Sabine forced herself to wait for a full five count before charging into the resulting chaos.

The girls’ helmets filtered out the smoke, but the house’s inhabitance weren’t so lucky. They coughed and stumbled about, eyes streaming. They may not have been prepared for the smoke, but, if their blasters were anything to go by, they were certainly prepared for company. A blue-skinned Twi’lek fired blindly in Sabine’s general direction. She flinched as the shot missed her by mere inches and fired back on pure reflexes before she could even think about it. Her stunner dropped the man like a rock.

Next to her, Ketsu was blazing away at a pair of beings taking cover behind the couch. Just as Sabine turned to help her, a fourth figure popped up from behind the armchair and charged the door with a yell. Sabine’s eyes widened in momentary panic as the enormous, four-armed Besalisk barreled down on her. At the last second, she dodged out of his way and fired each of her blasters into his back as he ran past her. He collapsed with a groan.

Ketsu fired twice more in quick succession and the room fell quiet. No more blasters, no more shouting, just Sabine’s own panting echoing in her helmet. “That’s it?” she asked breathlessly, practically vibrating with excess adrenalin. Their first real job and it was all over before Sabine even knew it. “Did we get him?”

“Don’t know.” Ketsu shook her head. “Check the bodies,” she ordered, sounding a whole lot calmer than Sabine felt. “I’ll sweep the house to see if we missed anyone.” Ketsu raised her blaster and stalked into the kitchen. They’d just taken out a room full of criminals and she was so blasé she could have been back running drills at the Academy. Her cool confidence and cold focus were just some of the many reasons Ketsu had always been the big sister in their relationship.

While Ketsu searched the rest of the tiny house, Sabine looked over the bodies and collected their weapons. Everyone was still breathing. Good thing, and not just because the bounty called for their prize to be alive. She may be a bounty hunter, but she’d rather kill for honor than for money. Sabine knelt by the Besalisk she’d shot and slapped two pairs of heavy-duty binders on him.

“House is clear,” Ketsu announced, sliding her blaster back into its holster. “You get him?” She leaned over to get a closer look at their prize. “Good work, little sister.” She gave Sabine’s shoulder a squeeze that sent delighted shivers down her spine.

“Thanks,” Sabine said and hauled their target to his feet. Or at least tried to. He easily had twice her weight in addition to twice her arms. She managed to get her shoulder under his upper arm, but the bulk of him was still on the floor. 

Ketsu grabbed the Besalisk under his upper shoulder on his other side. “Count of three,” she said. “One, two three!” Together they pulled the man up with a grunt and nearly fell over. They stumbled and nearly dropped him as they struggled to maneuver his unconscious bulk through the door. Next time the girls went after someone this big, they’d have to figure out a way to bring the target in under his or her own power.

Sabine glanced down at their tag on the sidewalk as they dragged their prize from the house to their speeder. K and S. On the one hand, she liked the symbolism of it. Partnership, teamwork, all that stuff. On the other hand, well, it was just so childish, especially compared to the sheer amount of awesome they’d just pulled off. “Yeah, that’s not gonna work.”

“Sure it will,” Ketsu said with a grunt. She leaned the Besalisk against the speeder and clambered aboard. Wrapping her arms around his middle she tried to pull him up with a groan. “Now push!”

Sabine set her shoulder into the man’s rump and heaved. Ugh, this was so undignified. No wonder no one ever talked about this part of bounty hunting. Sabine didn’t even want to think about how much worse this would be if he was dead. One final push and the Besalisk tumbled head first into the speeder, nearly crushing Ketsu in the process. 

Sabine straightened her helmet and hopped behind the wheel of the speeder. “I actually meant our tag,” she said, firing up the engine. She turned to check on her friend. Ketsu managed to pull her arms free of the Besalisk’s bulk and was trying to push him off. “Mandalore’s toughest bounty hunters deserve something a bit more impressive, don’t you think?”

“Seriously?! You want to discuss this now?” Ketsu looked up from her struggles to glare. A pair of stormtroopers on speeder bikes turned the corner at the far end of the street and sped towards them. “Get us out of here!”

Right. Mission first, aesthetics second. Sabine put threw the speeder into gear and hit the gas. They could settle this argument later, but Sabine was going to win.

**Author's Note:**

> This is me experimenting with writing action. Constructive criticism is very welcome.


End file.
